Late Night Encounter
by DevilTito
Summary: On a trip to the hot springs Kurokiba discovers that Megumi reacts strongly to his presence. Seeing as he enjoys making her squirm, it becomes a game of finding ways to get her riled up. What he doesn't expect is her retaliation. ONESHOT.


_Late Night Encounter_

* * *

When Ryo noticed that his and Alice's toiletries had been mixed up, he knew that he was going to be the one to fix the mistake. He had been in charge of packing and carrying their bags to the inn they were staying at for a few days with some of the others. Chances were that Alice was playing around with Erina and hadn't noticed that she was missing one of her many bags.

Sighing, Ryo grabbed the pouch and left his room in search of Alice. He would get it to her before she would notice and have the chance to blame him for being forgetful. Ryo wanted to avoid her lecturing at all costs, so he walked with determined steps down the hall and was turning a corner when he collided with Tadokoro Megumi and nearly sent her flying.

The girl squeaked as she lost her balance and was about to fall over backwards, but Ryo managed to catch her around the waist and steadied her until she regained her balance.

"S-so sorry Kurokiba-kun, I didn't see you!" She apologized profusely, gripping his arms tightly.

"It's fine," Ryo replied. The yukata she was wearing was slowly sliding down her shoulder, but she didn't seem to notice, too preoccupied with apologizing as she let go of him.

Megumi had been on the way back to her room to get ready for the night when she noticed that her hair was still up in a bun. As she walked, she tried to undo it and let her hair down, but somehow her hair tie had gotten twisted into a knot and she was pulling at it with quite some force.

With her attention focused on her hair tie, she kept walking down the hallway and bumped right into Kurokiba. Had it not been for his quick reflexes, she would probably have ended up sprawled on the floor. She felt her face heat up when she realized he was supporting her weight and that his hands were firmly planted on her waist. He only let go when she regained her footing.

Eager to escape and avoid further embarrassment Megumi excused herself, "W-well then, I'll be on my way."

"Wait." His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, startling the poor girl. His grip was gentle, but his eyes narrowed a tad as he looked at her face.

"Yes?" She asked in a low voice, afraid that there was dirt on her face.

"Your hair." He pointed to what undoubtedly looked like a bird's nest on top of her head.

"Oh! It seems my hair tie is stuck in a knot and I can't get it out." Megumi laughed sheepishly. So much for not embarrassing herself any more.

"Let me have a look, I'm pretty good with knots." Ryo suggested and stepped around her to survey the damage.

"You don't have to! I'll just ask Ryoko-chan or Yuki-chan!" Megumi objected, not wanting to be a bother to Kurokiba. She could feel the slight shift of weight as his hand touched her hair and Megumi felt the impulse to run.

"Stop moving." His tone wasn't harsh, but still left no room for discussion, so Megumi sighed and resigned herself to her fate. She prayed that her torture would be over soon.

"Here, hold this for a sec." Kurokiba handed her something – a pouch – and started working on loosening Megumi's hair. She glanced at the pouch and saw Alice's name written in neat, cursive letters on the front.

"Tell me if it hurts." He instructed her, pulling and rearranging the strands. Megumi made a noise of confirmation, but otherwise kept quiet.

Her ears burned from embarrassment, but she stood as still as possible. She couldn't believe she was causing trouble for someone again, let alone Kurokiba-kun, who was always so busy with tending to Alice. Megumi was surprised by how gentle his hands were as they expertly unraveled the knot in her hair. She was a little ashamed that she had expected his touch to be rough and silently apologized for her rude thought, when he was being so kind to her.

Megumi sucked in a breath when she felt his hand brush against the nape of her neck. His fingers had been warm when he grabbed her wrist, and Megumi could have sworn she could still feel them on her skin. She shuddered when he stepped closer and brushed her neck again, leaving a trail of heat behind.

"Sorry," he muttered, "almost done."

Megumi said nothing. She could feel the knot slowly coming undone, but it felt like it took minutes instead of seconds. Meanwhile Ryo took care not to be too harsh as his fingers moved deftly. He had helped Alice many times with similar problems and sometimes his own hair got caught on buttons when it was longer and shaggier.

He could feel heat radiating off her skin and guessed she had come straight from the bath. Ryo was also careful not to look over her shoulder, where her yukata was still out of place and revealed a little bit of her cleavage. He had gotten a glimpse by accident, but it still felt like a crime to ogle her chest regardless. Ryo briefly considered telling her or adjusting her yukata himself, but decided against it to spare her the embarrassment. Luckily, she seemed to notice at that moment and discreetly pulled it up.

Finally, the hair tie came out and the rest of Megumi's hair fell down her shoulders. It was messy and wavy from being up, and Ryo thought for a second that it looked good on her, but dismissed the thought as fast as it had appeared. It was just a different look than what he was used to seeing.

"Done." He handed her the hair tie and noticed her face was a little bit flushed as she accepted it with slightly shaking fingers.

"Um, thank you Kurokiba-kun." She turned around half-way to face him, but didn't quite look at him, still embarrassed. Mustering up her courage, Megumi turned all the way and met his eyes. He was watching her curiously, but didn't say anything.

"Here." She held out the pouch she was still holding for him and watched as his hand slowly reached for it.

When he finally grabbed hold of it, their fingers touched and Megumi nearly yanked her hand back. She could have sworn Kurokiba smirked at her reaction, but the hint of amusement that momentarily crossed his face disappeared quickly.

Retracting his hand, Ryo noticed that her face was still a little red. There were two logical explanations for that. Either her face was red from being in the hot spring for too long, or it was because of his close proximity. He could feel the corner of his mouth lifting at the idea of him being the reason for her flushed face and decided to put his theory to the test.

Slowly, Ryo reached out with his free hand and watched Megumi suck in a breath when his hand neared her face. She didn't flinch when he touched a tendril of hair that had fallen over her face, but he felt the tell-tale shudder go through her, even though she tried to suppress it. It was his win. Satisfied, Ryo tucked the hair behind her ear and let his hand fall back just as slowly. He regarded her for one more second, then turned around and left to continue his search for Alice.

"Later," he called over his shoulder and smirked when he saw her blushing all the way to her roots. They were staying at the inn for a few more days, and he was going to have fun making her squirm.

* * *

Megumi watched Kurokiba's retreating back and tried to take calming breaths. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she could feel blood rushing to her ears. Her skin tingled where he had touched her. She had no idea why his touch had affected her like that, but if she didn't get a grip, the other girls were going to notice and interrogate her all night.

The entire encounter with Kurokiba had taken less than five minutes, but to Megumi it felt like an hour had passed. Breathing deeply, she forced her heart rate to slow down and continued making her way towards the room she was sharing with Ryoko, Yuki and Nikumi. As she neared the door, she could hear faint laughter from the other girls and forced her face into a neutral expression before entering.

"Finally! We were worried you had passed out in the bath." Yuki told her when she closed the door behind her. The two other girls nodded in agreement, but Nikumi was the one who spoke. "We were just about to send a rescue party for you."

"You took so long, is everything alright?" Ryoko asked in concern. She could tell that her timid friend was tense and she looked very flushed.

"Ah, yes! I just spent too much time daydreaming and didn't notice the time." Megumi explained as she took a seat around the small table next to Nikumi and across from Yuki and Ryoko. The girls had been playing a card game and snacks were spread all over the table top.

Megumi watched on as her friends resumed their game and started bickering with each other. After a minute or two, she tuned out their voices and let her thoughts roam free. She was still trying to analyze her encounter with Kurokiba and images of his self-satisfied smirk kept entering mind. Feeling heat creep up her face, Megumi fanned her cheeks with her hands. Stupid Kurokiba and his gentle touch, it was all his fault.

"Your face looks red, you should be careful not to soak too long." Nikumi put a hand on her shoulder and give it a slight squeeze, startling Megumi out of her thoughts. She noticed that their game had been paused and that all of them were watching her carefully. Megumi felt a wave of gratitude and affections towards the girls she was rooming with. She had to stop spacing out.

"I will, don't worry." She assured them.

For the rest of the evening the blue-haired girl did her best to erase any unbidden thoughts of Kurokiba and his warm hands. She would find herself touching her neck or wrist and promptly shake her head free of images of his face. She had no idea why she was getting so worked up.

It wasn't long before Souma barged into their room followed by the rest of Polar Star boys, the Aldinis and Hayama, loudly announcing a card game tournament. Their dramatic entry and the ruckus it caused was the perfect distraction for Megumi. As the boys filed in, everyone moved around to make room for them and she ended up near the wall so that the people participating in the tournament had the space in the middle of the room. Megumi leaned back and accepted the drink that was passed to her. She was quickly engaged in conversation with the girls and she slowly felt her shoulders loosen up.

'_At least I don't have to see Kurokiba-kun here,'_ she thought, feeling relieved. But as luck would have it Alice chose that exact moment to fling open the door and drag a tired-looking Kurokiba by the collar. Erina and Hisako followed closely behind, looking both excited and apprehensive.

Megumi's heart threatened to burst through her ribcage when Kurokiba sat down beside her.

* * *

It was a coincidence that Ryo sat down next to Megumi. Alice had loudly pushed through the crowd and straight into the center of attention, leaving Ryo standing by himself. He had looked around for somewhere to sit and saw an open spot off to the side that he claimed quickly. The sooner he sat down, the sooner he was safe from Alice forcing him to participate in something. He only really noticed Megumi because she started fidgeting next to him. She had been talking amicably to the other girls, but as soon as Ryo sat down she started stammering through her answers and fidgeting in her seat. She was probably still rattled from their encounter earlier.

With a sly smile, Ryo leaned back against the wall and watched her from the corner of his eye. He wasn't going to do anything, but her skittishness was tempting him greatly. Despite the temptation, Ryo didn't want to bother her. He knew she was a spazz and would probably short-circuit if he got her riled up again. Besides, she had already shown him a great reaction earlier that evening, so he figured he would let her off the hook.

Ryo went back to watching the rowdy bunch in the middle of the room, arguing about the rules of whatever game they were playing. He felt no inclination to join them, already having spent most of his energy in a fishing contest against Yukihira and Hayama earlier_, s_o he simply settled for watching.

A few minutes passed and Megumi shifted in her seat again. He glanced at her and could tell from the fiddling of her fingers that she wanted to say something, but Ryo wasn't one for striking up conversation and waited to see what she would do. She surprised him by offering a drink.

"Would you like something to drink?" Her voice was clear and didn't waver, all hints of her fidgeting gone. Interesting.

"Sure," he nodded. She poured him a soft drink he hadn't tried before and handed him the paper cup.

This time she didn't even react when their fingers touched, and Ryo almost found himself laughing at her steely gaze. She was trying so hard to not be affected by him. Hiding his grin behind his cup, he took a sip and nearly gagged. An inane amount of fizz attacked his tongue followed by the sharp tang of something fruity and artificial like grapefruit. Or a strong detergent.

Ryo fought to keep his face impassive and his eyes darted to the girl next to him, the perfect picture of innocence. Had it not been for the slight twitch of her lips, Ryo would never have thought she would purposely have given him the nasty drink. Looking at the table in front of them, he noticed one almost full bottle the same color as his drink and a few almost empty ones with different colors.

Taking another tentative sip in hopes the taste got better, Ryo once again fought not to spit out the vile liquid in his cup. Glancing to his side, he saw Megumi watching him. He could see mirth dancing in her eyes from her small victory and Ryo vowed that he would get back at her. It was on.

For the next two days it became something like a game of cat and mouse between them.

Megumi would try to avoid Ryo, and he would seize every opportunity to get a rise out of her without anyone noticing.

Small, accidental touches that would cause Megumi to freeze or get flustered, lingering gazes and knowing smirks that made her squirm under their weight along with light chuckles at her increased clumsiness. Ryo was thoroughly enjoying every minute.

He also enjoyed the way her defenses against him started building up. Where she would have frozen at his touch before, she now only tensed slightly. She was also starting to retaliate.

At first, she tried to keep their interactions to a minimum by flanking herself with friends. But when she realized Ryo would find ways to corner her regardless, she started going out of her way to find him would brush by him in the halls or press their legs together if they ended up seated next to one another at mealtimes. During another one of their game tournaments, she even went as far as leaning into his side as they were sitting together. Her shampoo had smelled sweet and fruity.

In the beginning Ryo thought nothing of it, but when he found that she was actively seeking him out, he felt perplexed. He had always known Tadokoro Megumi to be skittish, timid and shy. She tried to avoid the spotlight and draw as little attention to herself as possible, but ever since she befriended Yukihira that obviously changed. Of course she had changed as time passed, but he was having trouble wrapping his head around this sudden development.

It was on the third evening as he paced the hallways of the inn that Megumi caught him by surprise and won their little game.

Ryo had walked by the veranda leading out to the garden when he noticed her in the garden. She was standing amidst the shrubbery on the stone lined path seemingly lost in thought. The path was illuminated at differing intervals and bathed her in a soft orange glow. Looking around he saw that no one was around and felt his feet move on their own.

Ryo had no idea why he went to her.

The logical part of his brain argued that he was just keeping up their game, while another part of him relented and admitted that he felt drawn to her. A tiny part of him also wondered why she was outside at this hour, all by herself. Her actions the past two days still confused him, and he wanted to figure her out, that's what he told himself.

He approached her quietly with one question already on his tongue, "What are you doing out here?"

Megumi turned to look at him with a soft smile. "I was just out getting some fresh air."

"This late?" Ryo asked inquisitively. It had been close to 11 pm when he left his room. She made a humming noise and started walking deeper into the garden, and he found himself trailing after her. She came to a stop under one of the biggest trees in the garden.

"I couldn't sleep." She broke the silence and turned to face him. Her eyes peered up at him through her bangs, and she was probably waiting for some sort of reply. It took a few seconds before he gave in, "Me neither."

"Back home, I would go sit in our garden when I couldn't sleep. I guess the habit kicked back in since this place reminded me of home." She shared with him, a wistful expression on her face.

"It's not like I'm homesick or anything, but this inn has that same feel as my family's, so I found myself out here." She explained with a soft smile, before he could say anything. Ryo couldn't remember the last time she had spoken so freely with him. Scratch that, he could barely remember the last time they had held a proper conversation.

"Is that so?" He asked to keep the ball rolling and she perked up instantly, launching into an explanation.

"Yes! Actually we have-" She started listing all the similarities of the two inns, and Ryo found himself just listening to her rambling. She spoke proudly of her family's inn and he could see a glint of excitement in her eyes when she mentioned some sort of remodeling they were planning. Ryo supplied with a few inputs, but mostly he just listened.

The conversation shifted to her hometown and she spoke in great detail about the fishermen who had trained her many years ago. She was gesturing wildly with her hands when she caught herself talking nonstop, and promptly cut off her spiel.

"Oh, sorry, I'm rambling now." She laughed lightly, clearly embarrassed. She avoided his gaze and wrung her hands nervously.

"It's fine." Ryo told her. At some point he had relaxed around her and he found that he didn't mind her rambling. It was kind of endearing to hear her speak of her hometown, and he had half a mind to go see it for himself.

"Sorry," she whispered despite his reassurance. He could tell that she was fighting off the urge to cover her face and hide behind her hands. It wasn't until she tensed up in front of him that Ryo noticed their close proximity. He could practically hear the gears in her head turn as he watched her face for any signs of discomfort, but he found none. Instead, he watched as she stepped a tiny bit closer and shyly reached for his hand. Her cheeks were tinged with pink and her eyes shone in the light from the nearby lamps, when she placed her small hand in his.

Ryo had never expected to get this close to Megumi during this trip. It had been fun to tease her because of how strongly she reacted to him, but he had to admit now that he was very much drawn to her. The need to be closer to her had hit him out of nowhere and he didn't remember her having any sort of effect on him.

He searched her eyes for permission and when he saw that little sparkle of excitement return, he felt himself leaning closer to her. Megumi's eyes were filled with wonder and he felt her sharp intake of breath as she looked up at him. A second later she closed her eyes and Ryo felt his skin tingle with anticipation as he continuously closed the gap between them. She trusted him and that knowledge made warmth spread in his chest. He could almost feel her lips against his when a loud voice from behind interrupted him and made Megumi jump back and drop his hand.

"There you are Ryo-kun! I've been looking all over- oh, am I interrupting something?" Alice's tone was apologetic, but Ryo could hear the smile in her voice. In front of him Megumi's eyes widened in horror and she started sputtering, trying to explain. Ryo fought the urge to snap at Alice for her timing and Megumi for her reaction.

"My apologies, please do go on." Alice excused herself with a giggle and skipped away innocently. Ryo knew she would grill him for answers later and groaned internally. He was not looking forward to it.

"Ohmygod-" Megumi whispered over and over again, trying to become one with the tree behind her. She looked mortified and Ryo felt a twinge of guilt at her panic. Since Alice's interruption had sent Megumi into a frenzy, Ryo felt a sense of obligation to help her calm down.

"Breathe," he told her and placed his hands on her shoulders. She startled at the sudden contact, but tried to follow his suggestion. It took a few moments before Megumi took one last deep breath and finally calmed down. Satisfied, he let go of her shoulders and thought about how to proceed from here.

"Sorry about that," Ryo apologized and saw her expression soften, but she remained quiet. Was he supposed to say something else? Why wasn't she saying anything? Was she still freaking out? He wasn't sure. Ryo sighed as he came up empty and decided to call it a night.

"We should probably go back inside." She nodded mutely and he suppressed the urge to sigh again.

As he turned around to go back, he felt Megumi grab his sleeve and tug him back. When he looked over, he saw that she was biting her lip and had a contemplative look in her eyes. A moment later she had steeled herself and moved so quickly that Ryo barely registered what happened next.

She stood on her toes, swiftly pressed her lips to his cheek and all but dashed away from him. He watched her disappear out of sight, but he could have sworn her face had been beet-red.

Ryo stood for a solid minute, trying to process what just happened. He could still feel the impression of her lips against his skin and found himself smirking as he admitted defeat. It was without a doubt Megumi's win.


End file.
